Alarm clocks have heretofore been provided with various types of deactivation mechanisms and devices for enabling a user to shut off the alarm after it has become activated. In the case of mechanical alarm clocks, manually operated stop devices have been employed. With electrically operated clocks, switch devices or various types of combined mechanical and electrical alarm-deactivation means have been employed. In practically all of the previously employed alarm-deactivation devices, the user is not required to get out of bed, and the alarm clock is usually placed conveniently within reach so that when its alarm becomes activated it can be readily reached for deactivation by the user. This turns out to be a serious disadvantage, since the alarm can be deactivated before the user is fully awake, and thus there is a great temptation to go back to sleep, since it takes a substantial period of time for an awakened person's brain to reach a fully functioning state.
Various types of quasi-remote-controlled alarm deactivation devices have been proposed, such as by verbal command, by the use of bed switches controlled by the sleeper's weight, by photoelectric systems, by touch control, and the like. Most of these deactivation devices have proved to be unsatisfactory as being excessively complicated, unreliable in operation, too expensive, and not effective to adequately awaken the user. Thus, these previously proposed devices do not require a sufficient amount of physical or mental activity on the part of the user to enable him or her to become fully awake by the time the process of deactivating the alarm is completed. The time factor and the physical activity factor are quite important, since physical activity increases the blood circulation rate and assists the person's brain to reach a fully functional condition by the time the alarm is deactivated, especially when reaching such functional condition requires a substantial degree of concentration.
Therefore, a large percentage of prior clock alarm systems fail in their underlying purpose in that individuals learn to defeat these systems without being fully awake, and these individuals become accustomed to routinely going back to sleep after turning off the alarm. For this reason there is a definite need for an alarm deactivation system requiring a behavior pattern which ensures that the individual becomes fully awake by the time the alarm is completely deactivated.
A preliminary search of the prior art revealed the following prior U.S. patents of interest:
Newman, U.S. Pat. No. 2,239,160 PA0 Belich, U.S. Pat. No. 2,496,373 PA0 Dias, U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,919 PA0 Atkins et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,594 PA0 Kleinerman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,739 PA0 McLeod et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,047 PA0 Welty, U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,574 PA0 Scheer et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,104 PA0 Yamazaki et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,414